Chora Museum and New Gas Field: Turkey

Recently, the Turkish President reconverted the Chora museum into a mosque. This is the second museum after Hagia Sophia to be converted into a mosque. Turkey has also found a new gas field in the Black Sea.

Chora Museum:

• It was built initially as a church in 534 AD, during the early Byzantine period.
• In the 11th century, its internal walls, pillars, and domes were covered with mosaics and frescoes showing scenes from biblical stories.
• After the conquest of Constantinople (the capital city of the Roman Empire) by the Ottomans (1453), the church was seized and turned into a mosque in 1511.
• In 1945, it was converted into a museum.
• Chora is also known as Kariye in Turkish and the medieval Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora.

Reason:

• The reconversion can be seen as the Turkish President’s pro-Islamic policies, where he emphasizes Turkey’s Ottoman history and domestic achievements over Western ideas and influences.
• By adopting pro Islamic policies the Turkish President aims to become the leader of the Muslim world.
• The Turkish President has also taken anti-India positions, especially on Kashmir to bolster its own position in the Muslim world.
• It can also be seen as a counter to the USA’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
• Jerusalem which has a significant population of Arab-Muslims who are becoming more and more hostile because of the USA's recent stand on Israel-Palestine issue. This step of conversion of mosques would gain the support of Arab countries for Turkey.

Gas Field in the Black Sea:

• Recently, Turkey has found its biggest ever (a 320 billion cubic meter) natural gas field discovery in the Black Sea. The gas field will become functional in 2023.
• Turkey is determined to become a net energy exporter. The discovery has the potential to transform Turkey’s dependence on Russia, Iran, and Azerbaijan for energy imports.
• Currently, Turkey is having a chronic current account deficit, any reduction in Turkey’s energy import bill would boost its finances. It will also help the Lira (Currency of Turkey) to recover against the dollar.
• Currently, Turkey is also having strained relations with its neighbor Greece over the exploration of natural resources in the Mediterranean sea.

Source: Indian Express